ASCP 2020 Virtual: Diversity and Inclusion Mini-Track Spotlights Strengthening Cultural Competency, Reducing Disparities

“Diversity and inclusion have always been important. But recently, videotaped episodes of unjust and violent actions against Black, indigenous, and people of color have galvanized broader public awareness of disparities,” says ASCP Immediate Past President Melissa P. Upton, MD, FASCP.

ASCP will offer a Diversity and Inclusion education mini-track at ASCP 2020 Virtual in order to support healthcare professionals in promoting optimal patient care, through recruiting, empowering, respecting and engaging a diverse workforce.

The mini-track will feature sessions on implicit bias, healthcare disparities and burnout, as well as roundtables.

On implicit bias, Dr. Upton said, “Most of us have prejudices or negative feelings about one group of people or another, even including groups to which we belong, but these feelings are unconscious and, as long as they are unconscious, we cannot address them directly with effective strategies or interventions. Self-awareness is an important step toward addressing disparities,” added Dr. Upton, who will teach the implicit bias session with a team of colleagues.

Being aware of one’s own implicit biases is important in order to address them and to create and foster a workforce that is thriving at all levels. It begins with awareness and sitting with one's own discomfort to then learn and make real change in one's self, in others and in society, according to Lotte Mulder, PhD, ASCP Director of Leadership and Empowerment.

In addition to the sessions planned for ASCP 2020 Virtual, the Diversity and Inclusion Education Work Group is developing strategies to provide educational content via online platforms and future live events. 

“Fostering a diverse workforce not only allows staff to learn more about patients’ cultures, but also teaches us how to practice cultural competency. In promoting this, we all grow and succeed, and we support laboratories in reflecting the communities they serve,” said Von Samedi, MD, FASCP, who leads the D&I program’s Education Work Group.

Learn more about ASCP’s Diversity and Inclusion Program by clicking here.